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Befides; Books that treat of Subjects that are naturally fo crabbed and obfcure, as are many of thofe of which Lucretius argues, can not be turn'd into our Language in fuch a manner, as, by a bare Tranflation only, to make them intelligible to a Reader meerly English, and that has no Knowledge of the Languages, in which the Originals were compos'd: For the Terms, tho' dark and difficult, must of Neceffity be retain'd; and yet they will not be understood by a great Number of English Readers: For Example; the Definition of the Void, which we find in the firft Book of Lucretius, v. 334. is tranflated as follows:

A Void is Space intangible.

Now I would fain know if thofe Words do not as much require to be explain'd to a Reader, who understands only the English Language, as to one who knows the Latine, the following Paffage of Lucretius, of which they are the Tranflation?

Locus eft intactus, inane, vacanfque.

And yet how many Sheets have been fill'd, and what Labour has been bestow'd, to explain the Meaning of them, by the Commentators on the Epicurean Philofophy, is notorious to all the Learned World. The Leafts of Epicurus, both mathematical and phyfical, the Homœomery of Anaxagoras, the Harmony of Ariftoxenus, are, till they are explain'd, no lefs difficult to understand: and ten thousand other Inftances of the like Nature, that the Reader will find in the following Tranflation, are abundantly fufficient to evince the Ufefulness, and even the Neceffity of thefe Notes: For, not to understand what we read is at best but Lofs of Time: and to take Things in a wrong Senfe, or to gain an imperfect Notice of them, as they must neceffarily do, who understand by Halves, what they read, is always alike dangerous, and often proves of bad Confequence; especially,

when

when the weak and unwary amuse themselves in the Lecture of fuch Authours as treat of Subjects like those of which our Poet difputes: Such Readers, like Men who fail in unknown Seas, ought to be fhewn the Rocks and Shelvings; otherwife they are in great Danger of being loft: For they are ever the most fubject to take the strongest Impreffions; and 'tis no eafy Task to eradicate from the Minds of the les intelligent Part of Mankind, and difpoffeß them of, those Opinions, which they have swallowed with greedy Delight, and been long accustomed to believe: Such an inveterate Credulity, like a Disease of long standing, and that has gain'd a Head, is not easy to cure; and, what is yet worse, we often find, that the stiffest Obstinacy attends the most erroneous Belief.

To apply what I have been saying to the Matter in Hand: There is Reason to fufpect, that fome have not been wanting, and, I fear, are still to be found, who, not being capable of themselves to form a true Judgment of thefe Arguments of Lucretius, and for want of a right Difcernment, have imbib'd fome of his falfe Notions, and yielded too eafy an Affent to them: they have taken the Shadow for the Subftance of Reason; and thus have been wretchedly feduc'd into Errour. The following Notes are chiefly intended, not only to undeceive fuch Perfons; but also to prevent others from falling into the like Mistakes: and if they compass that Effect, I shall have no Reason to think my Labour mifimploy'd, nor to fear the Cenfure of the Publick.

Having given this fhort Account of the Reasons that induc'd me to compofe thefe Annotations, it remains only to acquaint the Reader with the Helps I have had, and with the Method I have obferv'd in this Undertaking,

As to the first of thofe Points, the alphabetical Catalogue of the Names of the Authours cited in the Notes and Animadverfions, which the Reader will find in the Second Volume, immediately before the Index, is a fufficient Indication that I have spar'd no Pains, nor wanted any Affiftance, that C 3

could

could be requir'd to render this Work as perfect in its Kind,
as any thing of this Nature can be expected to be; and that
whatever Defects shall be found in it must be imputed to my
Want of Judgment and Capacity; fince I was abundantly
Supply'd with all the Materials, that were requifite to ac-
complish my Undertaking. And throughout the whole
Work I feldom advance any Thing of my own; but have
collected only the Opinions of others, and left the Reader to
judge and determine concerning them.

In the Text itself I have taken Care to Supply all the
Verfes which Mr. Creech had not tranflated; and that were
never before in any of the former Editions of this English
Lucretius. Thofe that were omitted towards the End of
the fourth Book, where the Poet treats of the Nature of
Love, are taken from Mr. Dryden's Tranflation of that
Part of our Authour. Of all the other Verfes, that are now
first inferted, I bave given an Account in their due Places,
in the Notes upon them: Mean while I have included all
the Verfes, that are thus fupply'd, between Crotchets, as a
Mark of Diftinction to let the Reader know, that they
were not in any of the former Editions. Befides, I have
prefix'd to every Book a feveral Argument, in which may
be feen at one View, not only the feveral Subjects treated
of in each of the fix Books; but likewife the Manner in
which they are handled, the Method of the Poet's Difputa-
tion, and the Connexion of the following Book to that
which precedes it. And each Book concludes with an Ani-
madverfion, briefly recapitulating the Contents of it, and
condemning or approving the Maxims and Arguments con-
tain'd and afferted in it. This Method our Tranflatour
bimfelf has obferv'd in his Latine Edition of Lucretius
from whence the Animadverfion, which the Reader will
find at the End of each Book, is chiefly taken. Moreover,
to make this Edition more perfect than any of the former,
where in many Places feveral of the Poet's Arguments and
Propofitions are join'd together, without any Diftinction,
where one ends or the other begins, I have been careful to
diftinguish

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diftinguish them from one another, by beginning each ATgument and Propofition with a Break; fo that the Reader will readily difcern where it begins, and where it ends : and that too the more easily, because each Note begins by expreffing the Number of the Verfes that each Argument or Propofition contains.

As for the Tranflatour's own excellent and learned Notes on Lucretius, which have hitherto been printed at the End of all the former Editions, and all together by themselves, I have now difpofed them into the feveral Places, to which be bad directed them, and they properly belong: infomuch that the Reader will now find them, not as before, in a Body by themselves, but intermix'd with my Annotations, without the least Alteration, and in their

proper

Place.

Each Note has a Number prefix'd before it, which directs to the Number in the Margin of the Text; which laft Number, for the greater Eafe of the Reader, marks every fifth Verse of the Tranflation, and fhews how many Verfes are contain'd in each Book.

It will be obferv'd, that in the Notes, that are merely explanatory, I often differ from the Senfe of my Authour, I mean, Mr. Creech: for I exactly follow the Senfe of Lucretius; whofe Meaning that Interpreter has mistaken in many Places of this Tranflation. This I the more confidently affirm, because I have his own Authority to strengthen my Affertion: For, in his Latine Edition of Lucretius, be often gives his Authour an Interpretation far different from, nay, fometimes quite contrary to, what he makes him fay in this Tranflation. One manifeft Inftance of this, among many others, may be feen in the Note on the 547th Verje of the 5th Book, to which I refer the Reader: and will here only obferve, that our Tranflatour's Miftakes of this Nature have often forc'd me to the Neceffity of giving the original Text of Lucretius; to the End, that fuch as understand the Latine may be convinc'd, that I have not taken upon me to blame and correct him without Reason. And to exempt my felf from all manner of Imputation upon

that

that Account, I bave scarce, through the whole Course of these Annotations, ever accus'd this Translation of Errour, except only in Paffages to which Mr. Creech himself, in his Latine Edition of our Authour, has given a different Interpretation from what we find in this Tranflation, infomuch that, by pointing out thofe Miftakes to the Reader, I have not only done Justice to Lucretius, but, in fome Measure, even to his Tranflatour likewife; of whom I may fay, without any Derogation to his Fame, that he had not fo throughly digefted bis Authour when be tranflated him, as be bad done afterwards, when he came to publish bis Latine Notes upon him. And here by the Way I can not but wish, that he had not been fo fevere on Du Fay, the Editour of the Lucretius in Ufum Delphini, in lashing hims at the unmerciful Rate he does, in many Places, in those Notes, for Errours of which himself bad once been guilty, and into which they had both been alike led by Lambine; efpecially too fince it is most evident, that he is often indebted to that Interpreter, I mean Du Fay, for the true understanding of the Senfe of his Authour. This will manifeftly appear to any one, who will compare the Notes of thofe two Interpreters together, and reflect on the Difference of Time in which they were publish'd.

But I have not taken upon me to correct our Tranflatour, only where be bas palpably mistaken the Sense of his Aurbour, but in thofe Places likewife, that he has render'd obfcurely or imperfectly. One Inftance of this, among too many others, the Reader may obferve in the Note on the 986th Verse of the Second Book, where Lucretius, enumerating all the Conjuncts and Events, or Properties and Accidents, of the Epicurean Atoms, has included them all in the following Verfes ;

Sic

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